On Making Oral Presentations Faculty of Computer Science Free University of Bolzano Jay Anderson – February 2006 Organization: topic • Have something to say that’s worth our attention • Be convinced of its validity or importance • Furnish strong arguments, with support • Use confident language Organization: audience • Know your audience • What can you assume? • How can you make contact with your audience? Organization: clarity • Phrase your thoughts clearly; be easy to follow • Speak to the point: background, theme, conclusion • Anticipate audience reaction • Offer variety and wit; be the expert but act the friend I am indebted to John Trimble in Writing with Style for some of these suggestions. Organization: rule of 3 • The “Rule of Three” • Tell them what you’re going to say (15-20%) • Say it (70-60%) • Tell them what you said (15-20%) • End promptly; leave time for questions • Don’t try to say everything • Apply the “Rule of Three” at each level Delivery: preparation • Handouts • Good notes • Quick access to visuals, media • Anticipate questions • Be honest • Rehearse; practice with your slides; use your own laptop Delivery: in the room • Put the whole thing onto another device • Presentation • All linked media • Another device • a CD-ROM • a “USB stick” • an external drive • a server Delivery: in the room • Bring your laptop • Cables • Issues: • resolution • screen mirroring Delivery: how to speak • Don’t just read your notes • Raise your head; speak to the back of the room • Maintain eye contact; speak to particular individuals • Use “you” “tu” “du” • Avoid the passive voice Delivery: slides • On-screen presentations: computer projections (PowerPoint, Keynote), overhead slides • Very little information on each slide • Title, 4-5 points or one graphic • Uncluttered background • Use “effects” or “builds” sparingly Delivery: handouts • Handouts • Make them as good as a printed paper • Color is an expensive option • Fallback position • References or bibliography Delivery: poise • Poise • Dress • Speak slowly and clearly; remember your language may not be their language (or even your language) Software: PowerPoint • Microsoft PowerPoint • Almost universal nowadays • Can be turned into a QuickTime movie • Has its own “player” Software: Keynote • Apple Keynote • New in 2003; updated in 2006 • Has its own player, or QuickTime • Can also export to PowerPoint • Why? Software: QuickTime • Useful for video clips, audio clips • Useful for a “slide show” • Usually compatible with PowerPoint, Keynote, HTML • Why? Media: pictures • Capture photographs, other graphics • Scanners • Digital cameras • Image capture (software) from an online source • Software for digital cameras Media: audio/video • Capture audio or video (Macintosh) • Audio: SoundStudio, iTunes • Video: iMovie, QuickTime Media: link or embed • Link to or embed in your presentation • Link: bring all media with you! • Acknowledge your source! Media: warning • Practical warnings when using another computer: • your software is not their software • your fonts are not their fonts Example: graphics • Scan photograph, etc. • or, use Grab or other capture for online graphics • Export in a standard format file (jpeg, tiff) • Embed in presentation Schloß Schönbrunn, from the website www.schoenbrunn.at (6 Aug 03) Example: audio • Record off-air on cassette • Digitize • Keep as a QuickTime “movie” • Embed in presentation Schönbrunner Waltz, Wiener Philharmoniker Example: audio • CD imported into iTunes • Export as MP3 file • Convert to QuickTime “movie” • Embed in presentation Chris Anderson, theme from The Angel Doll. Example: video (tape) • Off-air recording on videocassette • Digitize • Keep as QuickTime movie • Link to presentation Schönbrunner Waltz, Wiener Philharmoniker New Year’s Day Concert, January 2002 Example: video (DVD) • Video from DVD • Capture from DVD player (may not be possible) • Navigate in DVD and play a scene Act 1 of Parsifal, Richard Wagner Kurt Moll as Gurnemanz, Siegfried Jerusalem as Parsifal Metropolitan Opera, 1993 References • Audio/video • Photograph of Schönbrunn castle, Vienna from www.schoenbrunn.at (6 Aug 2003). • Schönbrunner Waltz from New Year’s Day concert of Vienna Philharmonic, 1 January 2002; taped off-air from WITF-FM and WITF-TV. • Theme from The Angel Doll, Chris Anderson, 2002. Personal copy, gift of the composer. • Excerpt from act I of Parsifal by Richard Wagner. Metropolitan Opera, 1993. Deutsche Gramophon DVD 440 073 032-9. • Text • John Trimble, Writing with Style. (Prentice-Hall, 2000). • Patrick Blackburn, “How to give a good talk,” from European Summer School in Logic, Language and Information (ESSLLI), Helsinki, August 2001; thanks to Raffaella Bernardi, http://www.inf.unibz.it/~bernardi/pbgt.pdf.